Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
Vishwash Kumar, the sole survivor of the tragic Air India aviation disaster that claimed the lives of around 270 people, broke hearts after footage of him carrying his brother’s coffin spread online—limping under the weight of both the physical and emotional pain he felt.
The 40-year-old British national and his sibling, Ajay, were both on board the UK-bound AI171 flight when it crashed into a densely populated area mere seconds after takeoff.
Kumar, his face still swollen and covered in plasters, refused the help of others, mustering the strength to carry the coffin to its destination.
BP Daily - Your Source for Unbiased Reporting
Sole survivor of deadly Air India crash breaks the internet’s collective heart by carrying his brother’s casket despite his wounds
Image credits: aviationbrk
Footage shows the coffin covered in yellow flowers, as well as pink and white fabrics. Family members, Vishwash included, were seen carrying Ajay’s casket to his funeral surrounded by mourners, many of whom offered to help the grieving brother.
But he refused.
Image credits: I_amMukhtar
Only after completing his task did Vishwash allow himself to let out his emotions, breaking down in tears as he helplessly watched his dear brother’s casket being carried away in a vehicle.
The Kumar brothers departed from Ahmedabad last Thursday (June 12), and were returning home to London after visiting family members in India. Vishwash sat in 11A, right next to the plane’s door, while Ajay sat across the aisle.
Image credits: SBS News
Vishwash isn’t alone in his grief, however, as the tragedy has not only shaken India as a whole, but the entire world. The families of the 241 people on board the plane, as well as the relatives of students who perished on the ground, share in his sorrow.
Image credits: BBC
As investigators search for answers, aviation authorities are zeroing in on several critical systems, such as the engine thrust, flap positions, and landing gear behavior during takeoff.
“We’re looking at whether Air India was at fault, including on maintenance issues,” a source said.
The plane showed signs of a lack of maintenance, including failing electronics and unretractable landing gear
Image credits: BBC
Even before what would be the plane’s final flight, the aircraft’s electronics were already showing signs of severe disrepair.
“AC is not working at all. And as usual, the TV screens are not working. Not even the light is working,” said Akash Vatsa, who was also a passenger on a previous flight of the AI171.
Image credits: BBC
Passengers resorted to fanning themselves with magazines as temperatures rose, dismissing the malfunctions as routine lack of maintenance. However, to investigators, these errors revealed deeper systemic problems with the plane’s overall condition—errors that would prove fatal in Vishwash’s flight.
Image credits: BBC
A mere 33 seconds after liftoff, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal noticed several critical systems failing and issued a desperate Mayday call.
“Mayday…no thrust, losing power, unable to lift,” he said, but the plane went silent before control had the chance to respond.
#WATCH | Diu | Lone survivor of AI-171 flight crash, Vishwas Ramesh Kumar, mourns the death of his brother Ajay Ramesh, who was travelling on the same flight
Vishwas Ramesh Kumar is a native of Diu and is settled in the UK. pic.twitter.com/fSAsCNwGz5
— ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2025
The plane, which had been unable to retract its landing gear, started losing altitude rapidly. Faced with a lose-lose situation, Captain Sabharwal opted to steer the plane away from densely populated apartment buildings and into a nearby medical college hostel.
241 people on board the plane lost their lives, and about 30 more, mostly students, did so on the ground.
Upon being woken up by an emergency responder, Vishwash’s first thought was of saving his brother
Image credits: Dexerto
Vishwash witnessed everything. The trauma of the crash was still alive in his mind as he woke up in the hospital and investigators started interviewing him for information.
“I managed to unbuckle myself. I used my leg to push through that opening and crawled out,” he told local media from his hospital bed, the shock of his harrowing experience still present in his voice.
Image credits: SBS News
He then said that he still didn’t understand how he escaped. Footage of the crash shows what appears to be the plane’s door unhinging itself from the plane moments before the crash.
Vishwash then recounted how he saw people losing their lives in front of his eyes, including the plane’s crew—and his brother, Ajay.
Moments after the crash, the plane’s fuel reacted and caused a massive explosion. Heartbreaking footage discovered after the incident showed Vishwash desperately trying to go back to the flames to save his brother.
“My family member is in there, my brother and he’s burning alive. I have to save him!” he told emergency workers.
A joint task force is investigating Air India’s fleet, with a focus on possible criminal liability
Image credits: Rishii_Bose
Emergency worker Satinder Singh recounted how he had to carry Vishwash away to safety.
“I walked nearer to Mr Ramesh, grabbed him by the arm and led him away to a waiting ambulance. I had no idea that he was a passenger on the plane and thought he was a resident of the hostel or a passer-by,” Singh explained.
“He was very disoriented and shocked and was limping. There was also blood on his face, but he was able to speak. He told the paramedics that he was flying to London when the plane fell and that he wanted to go back to save his family.”
Image credits: Turbinetraveler
The compounding evidence has led to a full round of inspections across Air India’s Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 fleets. This includes pre-departure takeoff parameter checks, flight control inspections, and engine power verification.
Experts from the UK, the US, and officials from Boeing have reportedly joined the probe.
“I can’t imagine the pain.” Netizens sympathized with the sole survivor
Image credits: SkidHot68696
Image credits: captaincalrf
Image credits: lets_bereal10
Image credits: Vishal0700
Image credits: me_ganesh14
What do you think ?
Multa Nocte 5 months ago
I guess I am confused about why people think he faked this. Are they assuming he booked a flight under his own name on the seat next to where his brother was but didn't board, drove to where the plane was going to crash (I guess he must have caused the plane to crash because how else could he be exactly in the area where and when it crashed), dived into the wreckage to receive some fake burns, and then in poor taste showed up at his brother's funeral? Someone help me out here.
AuspiciousTree283 5 months ago (edited)
The problem is that people are making up conspiratorial stories to make this poor man look bad. They assume he's acting crazy because it's like he needs to be rational after such a traumatic event. BP is milking this story for ragebait.
Load More Replies...
Crystalwitch60 5 months ago
Vishwah is amazing , he lives here in uk , bloody long way from me mind but , it’s been on the news pretty much daily , n the interview was heartbreaking , those poor people 💔n as others said the survivors guilt will never leave him 💔rest in peace all as didn’t make it , n blessed be to vish n his family x
Auntriarch 5 months ago
He will be carrying the weight of his brother for the rest of his life, poor lad.
Load More Replies... Multa Nocte 5 months ago
I guess I am confused about why people think he faked this. Are they assuming he booked a flight under his own name on the seat next to where his brother was but didn't board, drove to where the plane was going to crash (I guess he must have caused the plane to crash because how else could he be exactly in the area where and when it crashed), dived into the wreckage to receive some fake burns, and then in poor taste showed up at his brother's funeral? Someone help me out here.
AuspiciousTree283 5 months ago (edited)
The problem is that people are making up conspiratorial stories to make this poor man look bad. They assume he's acting crazy because it's like he needs to be rational after such a traumatic event. BP is milking this story for ragebait.
Load More Replies... Crystalwitch60 5 months ago
Vishwah is amazing , he lives here in uk , bloody long way from me mind but , it’s been on the news pretty much daily , n the interview was heartbreaking , those poor people 💔n as others said the survivors guilt will never leave him 💔rest in peace all as didn’t make it , n blessed be to vish n his family x
Auntriarch 5 months ago
He will be carrying the weight of his brother for the rest of his life, poor lad.
Load More Replies... You May Like
Related on Bored Panda
25
5